Tandoori Barbecue Sauce Recipe

Indian spices liven up this homemade barbecue sauce

This barbecue sauce recipe was one of the most important factors of keeping World Flavor Cafe, my mom's restaurant, afloat in its trecherous early days. Tossed with juicy chopped tandoori chicken thighs and stuffed into a crusty baguette or crisp dosa, this thick, sweet and spicy sauce strikes the perfect blend of familiar and exotic. We knew it was a hit when frequenters started requesting sides of extra sauce, and eventually, the recipe itself. With random yet super-loyal Ojai regulars like Malcolm McDowell, Diane Ladd and Linda Bruckheimer, that's a solid compliment. Awh, I name-dropped. Poor form. But good sauce.

This recipe yields about a quart and a half, and it'll keep in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge for up to a month. It's great on chicken or turkey burgers, makes a perfect glaze for pork ribs and is and spectacular (if loosely sacriligeous) on beef brisket.